The Abusive Novel System Pleads with Me to Resign-Chapter 111

Xing Jiale never imagined that she could actually extort a staggering one billion dollars in such a short time.

This wasn’t just a matter of luck—things had escalated so quickly that he hadn’t even processed it yet.

Staring at Shen Ying in shock, he finally managed to stammer out, "How on earth did you find out so much?"

If Grandpa Xiao’s personal doctor could still be traced online, then the affairs of the Gong family were absolutely impossible for Shen Ying to uncover through any means. Even Gong Zhaoxi’s parents didn’t know about them.

Before Shen Ying could answer, Xing Jiale suddenly realized something and gasped, "A while ago, the Zhong Group abandoned the R&D team they originally planned to collaborate with, and the team leader was exposed for stealing technology. If I recall, that happened right after you broke up with Zhong Chen, didn’t it?"

Shen Ying looked at him and said, "You’re quick to connect the dots."

But Xing Jiale was even more stunned. He muttered to himself, "No wonder Mrs. Zhong, who’s notoriously difficult to deal with, gave you 500 million so easily."

If the information had come from Shen Ying, the value of that intelligence was far beyond a mere 500 million.

Xing Jiale realized that this woman was nothing like what he’d assumed. He knew she was capable, but he’d thought her skills were limited to playing with people’s emotions.

Now, however, he saw how severely he’d underestimated her. With abilities like this, mingling among them was practically child’s play for her.

At the same time, Xing Jiale finally understood why Xiao Yun had been wary of Zhong Chen getting close to her from the start.

Perhaps Xiao Yun had sensed her terrifying potential early on—only to be captivated by her dangerous allure, boldness, and the sheer confidence that made even him, the one meant to stand in her way, fall under her spell.

Even Xing Jiale himself felt his heart race at her greed, audacity, and the implications of her mysterious intel.

Shen Ying waved her hand cheerfully. "Don’t worry, your parents are refined people—what could possibly go wrong?"

Xiao Yun let out a sigh of relief. His parents had left in a hurry earlier without saying much, their attention seemingly diverted from his romantic affairs.

This was a good thing for Xiao Yun, who had little faith in Shen Ying to begin with. Maybe some unexpected incident had distracted them, buying him more time.

But just as he relaxed, Shen Ying added, "Oh, by the way, I was so moved by your parents’ love for you that I’ve decided not to be the femme fatale driving a wedge between you and your brother anymore."

Xiao Yun’s pupils constricted. He’d known all along that this woman couldn’t resist the lure of money, but being dumped still sent a weightless, plummeting sensation through his chest, as if he’d been pushed into an abyss.

He didn’t even know how to react.

Meanwhile, Zhong Chen, standing nearby, burst into laughter upon hearing the news.

"Finally! I told you your act wouldn’t last long."

"How many days was it? Not even a week, right? Thanks for taking care of my girlfriend in the meantime."

Xiao Yun, already seething, shot back, "I don’t get why you’re so smug."

"Smug about going from ex-boyfriend to ex-ex-boyfriend?"

Zhong Chen’s face darkened, but Gong Zhaoxi, overjoyed, stepped between them.

"Hey, hey, no more fighting!"

"Now that you’ve both been dumped, you’re in the same boat—shouldn’t you be bonding over shared misery?"

"Jiale and I have been hoping you’d understand each other. Xiao Yun, now you know how Zhong Chen felt. Zhong Chen, you’ve already experienced the pain Xiao Yun went through, right?"

Hearing Gong Zhaoxi’s words, both Zhong Chen and Xiao Yun’s expressions softened slightly. It was true—setting aside their rivalry, they were now brothers in misfortune, sharing the exact same predicament.

Just as they were about to exchange a conciliatory word, Gong Zhaoxi suddenly sidestepped them and approached Shen Ying.

Plucking a rose from a nearby vase, he presented it to her with a flourish.

"Ying, now that we’re both single, there’s no moral pressure. You don’t have to hold back because of those two losers."

The sheer shamelessness of his "brotherly loyalty" left the room in stunned silence.

Zhong Chen and Xiao Yun immediately prepared to team up and beat him senseless.

But before they could act, Shen Ying clasped her hands together, touched.

"I can see your sincerity."

"Actually, before coming in, I’d already considered accepting your advances if I ended up heartbroken again."

"But your parents were too far ahead of the game—they’ve already given me a sum of money to stay away from you."

Shen Ying sighed wistfully. "I just wanted to fall in love. Why does everyone treat me like some kind of monster?"

"So, to avoid causing trouble, I agreed."

Gong Zhaoxi’s face paled. "They already paid you?!"

He knew exactly what kind of "sincerity" was required to sway Shen Ying.

But he refused to accept it. "No, no, that can’t be. Before we came in, they weren’t even thinking like that!"

"They’ve always had full confidence in me becoming a scoundrel—why would they suddenly take preventive measures?"

Xing Jiale crossed his arms and smirked. "Stop lying to yourself. 500 million, not a cent less. Your parents handed it over without hesitation."

Gong Zhaoxi swayed on his feet, vision blurring, before two pairs of hands steadied him.

Turning, he saw Zhong Chen and Xiao Yun grinning at him.

Xiao Yun: "Well, I guess this is the only good news today."

Zhong Chen sneered: "Losing that much money without even getting a title? Pathetic."

Gong Zhaoxi, enraged, shook them off and marched back to Shen Ying.

"I refuse to accept this!" he declared. "At least they got to date you!"

"Why should I suffer this loss without even getting a chance to steal you away?"

"I don’t care—I demand a relationship! Even if it’s just for a day, I won’t let this end without becoming your boyfriend first!"

But Shen Ying shook her head. "I made a promise to your parents. I have to keep it."

She glanced around the room. "I’m full, and the party’s winding down. I’ll head home now."

All three men spoke at once: "I’ll take you."

Shen Ying declined. "No need. Since I’ve made agreements with all three of your families, I think it’s best we keep our distance from now on."

Zhong Chen’s expression darkened. "What do you mean? Are you cutting me off? That’s not what you said before coming in!"

Seeing her resolute stance, panic crept into his voice. "You even promised my grandmother you’d persuade me!"

"How are you going to convince me if you won’t see me?"

Shen Ying pondered for a moment. "Fine, I’ll call you."

Zhong Chen scowled. "I won’t pick up. If you have something to say, say it to my face."

Shen Ying hesitated, and Zhong Chen, seeing her falter, relaxed slightly.

As for Xiao Yun and Gong Zhaoxi, they didn’t react as strongly. They were still at the Zhong residence, surrounded by people—of course she’d have to put on a show after taking the money.

Unlike Zhong Chen, they weren’t in a rush. There’d be time to talk at school.

But what they never expected was that the very next day, at school, Shen Ying would cut ties with them completely—as if they’d never existed.

When they bumped into each other in the hallway, the other person brushed past them without even a glance.

Zhong Chen grabbed their arm and pulled them back.

Glaring at Shen Ying, he demanded, "What’s your problem? Pretending we don’t exist?"

Shen Ying pried his fingers off one by one and sighed, "Come on, I took a lot of money for this."

"Fifteen billion, just to break up with you—no other strings attached. I already feel a little guilty taking it."

"If I keep lingering around you, that’d just be unethical."

Zhong Chen was furious now. "You said even after breaking up, you’d still care about me!"

Shen Ying shrugged. "What do you want me to do? All three of your families are watching me like hawks."

"Before, I could at least use the excuse of being your ‘brother’s girlfriend’ as cover. But now all three of you got caught, and I can’t even find a reason to stay in touch."

"That’s a lot of money. If I don’t keep my distance and your parents get pissed, do you think I can handle that?"

Xing Jiale glanced at her, puzzled.

During the deal, she hadn’t exactly been the weak one. Even without the romantic ties, she could’ve easily kept hanging around as a "friend" and still gotten her way without a second thought.

But she was dead set on cutting ties, and Xing Jiale couldn’t figure out why.

Sure, ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‍she’d played those three idiots like a fiddle, but it wasn’t like she had zero feelings for them.

So why? Xing Jiale racked his brain but came up empty.

But he soon found out why Shen Ying was doing this.

In the middle of their argument, he heard Zhong Chen, that idiot, say, "You just need an excuse, right?"

Xing Jiale’s scalp prickled. "What the hell are you planning?"

Zhong Chen gave him a weird look, as if he didn’t understand the outburst.

"All three of us are banned by our parents from seeing her, but you’re in the clear. So now she can hang out with us as your friend."

"What’s wrong with friends hanging out with friends?"

Xing Jiale hadn’t yet figured out where his sense of dread was coming from, but something about this felt very, very wrong.

He opened his mouth to refuse, but before he could, Shen Ying cut in, "No way. Xing Jiale and I don’t get along."

"He hates me. There’s no way we’d pass as friends. Your parents aren’t blind."

Zhong Chen immediately turned to Xing Jiale. "You. Starting today, you’re spending more time with her."

"School, weekends, holidays—you’re seeing her constantly."

Xing Jiale was livid. "Are you out of your damn mind? Just because you three idiots can’t let go of your ex, you’re throwing me under the bus?"

"Why the hell would I get involved in your mess?"

Zhong Chen ignored him. "I’ll be checking in daily to make sure you’re doing your job."

Xing Jiale was so angry he saw stars. Then Gong Zhaoxi chimed in, "You don’t think he’s falling for Shen Ying too, do you?"

Zhong Chen scoffed. "No way. He’s not like us. There’s no one safer to trust with this than him."